Dear John,

We have incredible news!

We can now share with you that we have successfully challenged Cheshire East Council’s recent decision to grant planning permission for a new zoo in Cheshire! 

You may remember the news back in April that Zoo2U, a mobile zoo business based in Holmes Chapel, had re-applied for planning permission to build a permanent zoo.

Then in July, despite over 500 of you taking action against these exploitative plans, and planning officials yet again recommending refusal, Cheshire East Council went against the evidence and approved them.

This should not have happened and they should have sent the matter up to the strategic planning board which is required by law.

So we enlisted the help of the incredible UK animal protection law firm, Advocates for Animals, and following advice from Edie Bowles, Solicitor and Managing Director of AFA, sought a Judicial Review on a number of grounds. 

And it was a great success! In response to our pre-action protocol letter, Cheshire East Council and the zoo accepted that the decision was unlawful and we are delighted to report that it has now been quashed, with Freedom for Animals recovering most of its legal costs!

We are so grateful to AFA and barrister Alex Shattock for their dedication and hard work on this important issue. 

None of this would have been possible without YOU! You have taken action against these plans…not just once, but three times! 

Please consider helping us to cover the legal costs incurred by carrying out this vital action and send a gift today. Whilst most of this was covered by the council, we are yet unsure what other costs may be incurred or what other stages this may still need to go through.